Watch pager with icons

• US 5,552,779 A
• Filed: 11/25/1992
• Issued: 09/03/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1985
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Instruments Incorporated (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Corporation (Seiko Group), Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Gaskill, Garold B., Rose, Donald T., Barnum, Lewis W., Stiley, Joseph F. III, Rullman, Robert G., Park, Daniel J., Hoff, Don G.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US07/981,968
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 340/825.44, 340/825.48, 340/747, 379/57, 455/38.4
• US Class Current: 340/7.56
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 21/04 using radio waves radio-controlled time-pieces G04R
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/14 the radio signal being a telecommunication standard signal, e.g. GSM
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 20/20 the radio signal being an AM/FM standard signal, e.g. RDS
• CPC Class Codes: G04R 60/04 Antennas attached to or integrated in watch bracelets
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/1016 using wireless transmission calling systems using transmission by inductive loop H04B5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/222 Personal calling arrangements or devices, i.e. paging systems selective calling systems and call receivers H04W84/00, H04W68/00
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/223 using wireless transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/18 Automatic repetition systems, e.g. Van Duuren systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0216 using a pre-established activity schedule, e.g. traffic indication frame
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/026 using digital address codes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A wide area paging system is disclosed in which paging messages input to the system in one local area can be broadcast to a receiver in any other local area without necessarily broadcasting the message in all areas. A local area clearinghouse in each area stores resident subscriber data including current location and receiver serial number. This data is used to transfer messages over a data network to the correct clearinghouse. The system uses a TDM data protocol. The data is encoded and transmitted at a very high rate (e.g. , 19,000 baud) in short packets (256 bits/13 milliseconds) via stereo FM sidebands. Receivers are assigned to receive sequentially numbered time slots matching a portion of their address. The addresses of intended receivers are included in the data packets. Battery-powered receivers are deactivated between packets and reactivated in accordance with the sequential time slot number scheme to receive an incoming packet. Messages longer than a packet are segmented and transmitted in two or more packets, linked together by data contained in the packets. A watch pager used in the system employs a wristband antenna which electromagnetically couples to the user'"'"'s body. The watch pager displays time, telephone numbers and icons representing common types of paging messages.

Claims

1. A radio pager which includes means for receiving and decoding paging messages, means for displaying an icon indicating that a particular type of message has been received, and means for displaying simultaneously with said icon, numeric data indicating the time the message indicated by said icon was received by said radio pager.

2. The radio pager of claim 1 wherein said pager has a first mode and a second mode and manually operable means for changing said pager between said first and said second modes.

3. The radio pager recited in claim 1 including means for storing a plurality of messages, and means for displaying the message number of each message which is displayed.

4. The radio pager recited in claim 1 including storage means for storing a particular number of messages, and means for generating an indication on said display when no further messages can be stored in said storage means without deleting a previously stored message.

5. In a radio pager which includes a display and first and second modes of operation, said radio pager having a plurality of operational status states;

means operable when said pager is in said first mode of operation for selectively displaying icons indicating one of a plurality of messages, and means operable when said pager is in said second mode of operation for displaying a plurality of icons indicating the operational status states of said radio pager including the step of placing said pager in a message display mode and displaying in said message display mode both an icon indicating receipt of a message and numeric data indicating when said message was received by said radio pager.

6. In a radio pager which includes a display and first and second modes of operation, said radio pager having a plurality of operational status states;

means operable when said pager is in said first mode of operation for selectively displaying icons indicating one of a plurality of messages, and means operable when said pager is in said second mode of operation for displaying a plurality of icons indicating the operational status states of said radio pager including the steps of examining message numbers associated with each message and intermittently displaying one of said icons if a message number indicates that a message has been missed.